December 23rd, 2021
As every year ends, we tend to curl up in our chair, stare out the window, and reflect on who we are, where we’ve been, and what the hell we’re even doing.
That is definitely what I’m doing right now.
As I learn more and more about people who make an actual difference on this planet, heroes like scientists and doctors and trailblazers in technology, I worry more and more about whether writing and art has any real importance at all.
I stand on that fence a lot, to be honest.
But this year I’ve been able to renew my vow to the thing that makes me think that the writers of words and worlds have a place in all this chaos: inspiration.
I read several pieces this year that spoke on the importance of people being inspired to be the people they become. Whether it’s science-fiction that brings the future to life, or tales of selfless heroes that seed courage and morality into the hearts of young readers, stories not only entertain, but shape the world we live in.
And it’s always been one of the rings on the dartboard, but it’s the bull’s-eye now for me.
I want to inspire you to remember that we’re all complex individuals, and we can do bad things, but it doesn’t make us bad people.
I want to inspire you to dream, and to be active in those dreams; to fight, to learn, to reach across the stars and reality to anybody else who dreams, too.
I want to inspire you to run away, and I want to inspire you to stay.
I want to inspire you to find out that your defects can reveal strengths, and that no matter how weird you are, there are other weirdos out there who are just like you.
I want to inspire you to be real, and to tell your own story, because no one else will do it like you.
(And this is just from the books I’ve written so far.)
I have a lot more inspiration in me, that I want to share with you in 2022 and beyond. I hope you’ll come with me, because you are my secret weapon; you are what inspires me.
Announcements soon, but for now, have a holly, jolly holidays. Hang in there. All my love.
The Den 